Chapter 1257: The Resistance Group’s Past
After Ronald said his words, the doors slowly opened, revealing the interior of the room. When the doors fully opened, Aldrian could see the inside more clearly. The only thing that came to his mind was a vast room with minimal furniture.
The only things he saw were a work table with three seats, and not far from it were two sofas, one host seat, and a long table that appeared to be meant for receiving guests.
The arrangement gave a spacious sensation to anyone who saw it.
But Aldrian’s gaze quickly fell upon the mature beauty standing in the middle of the room. Her long, curvy blonde hair freely flowed down her back. Her pointed nose, small lips, and beautiful blue eyes shaped a stunning face that would attract anyone who saw her.
Her beauty was no less than Queen Revania’s.
She wore an elegant white dress with a high cut, adding to her charm and grace. With both hands resting in front of her belly, she showed her reverence toward Aldrian.
Then, with slow and graceful movements, she dropped to her knees and kowtowed toward Aldrian. Ronald did the same.
"I welcome the highest star that illuminates the entire universe, the Great Emperor of All Heavens, to the Gardam Family Merchant Headquarters. I am the matriarch of the Gardam Family, Emilia Eivan Gardam, ready to serve you," the woman said.
"I also congratulate the Great Emperor on your return. May glory always follow your great self."
Aldrian entered the room as he spoke.
"Rise."
Emilia and Ronald stood up. Emilia could not help but observe Aldrian. She knew this was not his true face, but she was more interested in what kind of person the Great Emperor truly was.
Before her stood a legendary figure whom all the elders had spoken about, a being whom they claimed had no equal. He was a being who stood at the absolute peak. In the past, even the gods and legendary figures among them, such as the Heavenly Demon, gave him their respect and worship.
He was a god, a master, a light, a guide, and everything that made countless beings of the ancient era place their faith in him. He was the true sovereign of this universe, a title that even the Heavenly Demon did not claim.
He was the figure who had become the hope of the resistance group to reverse the situation against the invaders, something she had already come to believe after the incident in the First Heaven.
The moment she saw the sign from the universe announcing his return and heard about the strange events that occurred in the First Heaven, she knew that the stories about him were not fairy tales. There was no other explanation except that the Great Emperor had done something in the First Heaven that caused the followers of those invading gods to fall into panic and even fight among themselves.
She wanted to know more about this man who had become their messiah, the one who would bring them victory and glory.
Seeing Emilia seemingly lost in a trance, the twins wanted to remind her, but Aldrian’s voice echoed first.
"Is there something wrong with me, Madam Emilia?" he asked with a smile.
Madam Emilia was stunned as she came out of her trance. She realized that she had been rude by staring at Aldrian for so long.
She instantly bowed to him, a slight flush appearing on her face.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. It was not my intention to be rude. My mind was elsewhere just now, and I have shown my impoliteness. Please forgive me."
Aldrian waved his hand.
"It’s okay. You did not make any mistake, so there is no need to apologize. I only asked casually because you seemed to be looking at me intently, which made me curious."
"Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Majesty. Please have a seat, and make yourself comfortable, and once again, my apologies Your Majesty if there is something that you do not like or find uncomfortable. Please tell me, and I will arrange it so that you can be more comfortable," Madam Emilia said as she gestured toward the nearby sofa.
"There is no need, Madam Emilia. I am grateful for your hospitality," Aldrian replied.
"Please, Your Majesty, you do not have to call me Madam. I simply do not feel worthy of a figure as great as yourself calling me that. Please just call me Emilia," Madam Emilia said as she led Aldrian toward the sofa.
Ronald closed the doors and stood not far from them. The twins remained standing behind Aldrian, while Aldrian and Emilia sat across from each other. After sitting down, Emilia took out a tea-brewing set. At that moment, she displayed her tea-brewing skills before Aldrian.
Aldrian could sense both her confidence and nervousness. Still, she looked professional, and once the tea was ready, Emilia served a cup to Aldrian.
"This is our finest tea, grown in our private tea garden in the southern highlands. Even Immortal Saint cultivators crave it for its refreshing effects on both the body and mind," Emilia explained.
Aldrian picked up the hot tea and inhaled its fragrance. From the aroma alone, he could already feel a refreshing sensation entering his lungs. The moment he took a sip, a warm feeling flowed through his throat before spreading throughout his body.
It also refreshed his mind, making his thoughts clearer and enhancing his ability to think. He believed that this effect could even dispel certain illusion techniques.
"The taste is quite unique as well. No wonder she said it is the best tea they have, and even Immortal Saints desire it," Aldrian thought.
But to him, this was still nothing compared to the tea given to him by the mysterious figure during their conversation. That tea was on an entirely different level, and he doubted that another tea like it existed.
"This is indeed a good tea," Aldrian complimented, which made Emilia smile.
"I’m glad that Your Majesty likes it." She also took a sip of her tea.
Both of them enjoyed the tea for a moment before Aldrian put his cup down on the table.
"So, Emilia, Shen Yuan directed me to you and said that you could help me while I’m staying here. I want to meet the other resistance group members, and he said that this city is the best place for such a meeting," Aldrian said.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Shen Yuan already informed me about it, and some of the resistance members arrived in the city a few days ago. Some others are still on their way here, but they should arrive soon. I have already arranged a safe location for us to gather so that Your Majesty can meet many of us," Emilia said.
Aldrian nodded, but then a curious expression appeared on his face.
"I’m curious how you and the other resistance members are able to live under disguised identities when Avergis and his followers have already taken control of this heaven. Just how many of you are able to live like yourself or Shen Yuan, hiding behind another identity? I also heard that many others are living in hiding within their hideouts. Does the resistance group have great power in the Second Heaven?"
"We prepared the infiltration long before the Second Heaven fell into the invaders’ hands. Our ancestors knew that the Second Heaven would eventually fall, so they planned for a future where we could still maintain influence in the Second Heaven even after the occupation," Emilia answered.
"Fortunately, Avergis did not blindly slaughter the denizens of this universe like Tarius’ followers usually do. They allowed many of our universe’s denizens to continue living normal lives, but only on the condition that they abandon their faith in the gods of this universe."
Hidden fury appeared on her face as her teeth clenched together.
"However, even if Avergis allowed the denizens of this universe to live, they live under the watch of the people he brought from his own universe. He kept filling the Second Heaven with his own people, and stripping away the influence of our people and replacing it with that of his own followers."
"However, our ancestors already had a plan. They knew how to infiltrate and how to build new power without Avergis knowing. According to the stories passed down to us, they gathered everyone who still intended to resist until the end and hid for thousands of years until the situation became more stable and more people from Avergis’ universe had settled here."
"Some of our people infiltrated their ranks by sacrificing their own cultivation and rebuilding it using the same cultivation techniques as those invaders. It was not difficult to obtain those cultivation techniques with so many of them coming here," Emilia said as she released a breath.
"Since then, they have been accumulating power behind the scenes through generations while continuously spreading their influence until this very day. All of this was done in preparation for Your Majesty’s return."
"As for our overall power, it is enough to shake the entire Second Heaven. Many of us have amassed influence throughout the Second Heaven despite our numbers being extremely small compared to those of Avergis’ followers." She spoke with confidence.
"With the combined forces of those hiding in hideouts spread across the Second Heaven, we could deal a devastating blow to the entire Second Heaven." But then she sighed.
"However, the problem is that Avergis and the other invading gods can send more of their followers from the higher heavens. That is where the situation becomes disadvantageous for us. We could be overwhelmed and ultimately defeated."
Emilia’s gaze fell upon Aldrian.
"That is why we can only depend on Your Majesty. Your Majesty’s strength is needed to make any reinforcements from the higher heavens meaningless. We need Your Majesty’s absolute power."